Mouthguard with lip protector

ABSTRACT

A plastic guard of general U-shape and channel cross-section for insertion in the mouth to receive a set of teeth including a strap extending from the outer lower anterior portion of the guard and a protector for the lips and the surrounding facial areas slidable on the strap and frictionally retainable thereon in adjusted position to accommodate different lip thicknesses and jaw formations.

United States Patent 15] 3,692,025 Greenberg 51 Sept. 19,1972

[ MOUTHGUARD WITH LIP 2,589,504 3/1952 Miller ..128/136 PROTECTOR3,448,738 6/1969 Berghash .L 1 28/1 36 [72] Inventor: Samuel Greenberg,1108 B. Cedarbrook Hill, Wyncote, Pa. 19095 [22] Filed: Feb. 22, 1971[21] Appl. No.: 117,610

[52] US. Cl ..l28/ 136, 2/9 [51] Int. Cl. ..A6lf 5/56, A6lc 9/00 [58]Field of Search ..128/l36, 133; 272/57 R [56] References Cited UNITEDSTATES PATENTS 3,485,242 12/1969 Greenberg 128/136 3,203,417 8/1965Helmer ..128/136 Primary Examiner-Richard A. Gaudet AssistantExaminer-J. B. Mitchell AnorneyMcClure & Millman [5 7] ABSTRACT Aplastic guard of general U-shape and channel crosssection for insertionin the mouth to receive a set of teeth including a strap extending fromthe outer lower anterior portion of the guard and a protector for thelips and the surrounding facial areas slidable on the strap andfrictionally retainable thereon in adjusted position to accommodatedifferent lip thicknesses and jaw formations.

9 Claims, 6 Drawing Figures PATENT'ED SEP 19 1912 Mum rm! SAMUELGREENBERG 1 MOUTHGUARD WITH LIP PROTECTOR- This invention relates to amouthguard for the protection of the teeth in contact sports having astrap secured thereto for attachment to a face guard or chin strap and alip protector removably mounted on the strap of the mouthguard.

Most mouthguards in use at present are in the form of a saddle ofsubstantial U-shape and of channel crosssection made of a toughresilient thermoplastic resin. The guard fits over one set of teeth,usually the upper set, and to prevent loss due to a substantial impact,a strap is secured to the anterior lower outer portion of the guardwhich is looped around the bar of a face guard or chin strap. Someguards or mouthpieces used are standard saddles with smooth interiortooth-receiving channels and others may be custom molded to contain theimpressions of the teeth of the wearer. The standard type mouthguardwith integral strap is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 3,448,738 whereas thecustom fitted type mouthguard with strap is shown in U.S. Pat. No.3,485,242.

Protective devices equipped with lip guards are known in the art asdisclosed in the U.S. Pats. of Oberto No. 2,521,084; Miller. No.2,589,504; Lee No. 2,614,560; Freedland No. 2,702,032; l-lelmer Nos.3,082,765 and 3,203,417; and Petersen No. 3,307,539. None of thesepatents show a mouth insertable member of channel cross-section toreceive and shield the entire set of teeth with a strap secured to theanterior outer portion thereof and a separate lip shield or protectormounted on the strap and spaced from the mouth insertable channelportion.

There is presently on the market a guard sold by Shield'Mfg. Inc. ofBuffalo, N.Y. under the designation Shield-270 Lip And Mouth Guard whichcomprises a custom fitted channel shaped tooth receiving guard with anintegral strap extending from the lower anterior outer portion thereofand an integral arcuate lip shield in a fixed position on the straprelative to the guard itself.

It is the primary object of this invention to provide a substantiallyU-shaped mouthguard of channel crosssection insertable in the mouth toreceive and shield an entire set of teeth having a strap secured to theouter anterior portion thereof and an arcuate flexible, impact absorbinglip protecting shield slidably mounted on the strap and frictionallyretainable thereon in adjusted position thereon relative to the guard toaccommodate different thicknesses of lips and different jaw and mouthformations.

Another object of the invention is to provide a mouthguard with lipprotector of the character described in which the lip protecting shieldis generally concavo-convex and is provided at its concave face with aboss which is adapted to engage the anterior portion of the guard tolimit inward movement of the lip shield at its contral portion and toprovide greater impact absorption at the central portion thereof.

Another object of the invention is to provide a mouthguard with lipprotector of the character described in which the strap is secured tothe anterior outer lower portion of the guard by an enlarged portion toreinforce the same, the boss extending from the generally concave faceis provided with a bore having two widths approximating the widths ofthe enlarged portion of the strap and the narrower strap itself tofrictionally engage both the enlarged portion and the strap adjacent theguard or the strap itself remote from the guard if required foradjustment with respect to a thicker lip or special jaw formation. Withsuch a construction, the lip protector may also be adjustably slidablymounted on straps which do not contain the enlarged shoulder at itsconnection to the guard.

These and other objects of the invention will become more apparent asthe following description proceeds in conjunction with the accompanyingdrawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a group perspective view of the invention;

FIG. 2 is a fragmentary plan view thereof;

FIG. 3 is asectional view taken on the line 3-3 of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is asectional view taken on the line 4--4 of FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is a view similar to FIG. 4 of a modified form of the invention;and

FIG. 6 is a view similar to FIG. 5 of yet another modified form of theinvention.

Specific reference is now made: to the drawings in which similarreference characters are used for corresponding elements throughout.

The invention generally comprises a guard or saddle 10, a strap 12secured thereto and aseparate lip protector or shield 14 slidable on thestrap. The guard is a substantially U- or horseshoe-shaped mouthinsertable member of channel cross-section having an outer flange orbuckle l6 and a preferably lower inner or lingual'flange 18 connected bya web portion 20. Its outer surface preferably tapers upwardly at itsdistal ends while the posterior ends of the inner and outer flangestaper anteriorly.

The guard or saddle is molded of a suitable tough resilient plastic andof a size to fit over and shield an entire set of teeth, usually theupper teeth. It can be used as non-custom or whatis known in the tradeas a standard unit, in which case the inner surface thereof is smooth,or can preferably be used as a custom fitted unit having indentations ofthe particular wearers teeth impressed therein formed by immersing thesaddle in boiling water, removing it while it still retains theessential shape, placing it over a set of teeth to form teethimpressions therein and then allowing it to cool or immersing it in coldwater to fix the: impressions in the saddle.

An example of a plastic most suitable for the saddle are the highmolecular weight binary or pure ethylenevinyl acetate copolymers whichare tough, have a rubber-like flexibility or resilience and have highstress crack resistance even at low temperatures. The average propertieswhich these resins possess are as follows: a melt index of 3.5-15dg./min., a density of 23 C. of 0.95 g./cc., a tensile strength at 73 F.of l,550-2,000 lb./sq. in., an elongation at 73 of 800-900 percent, astiffness at 73 F. of 1,550-l,770 lbs/sq. in., a tensile impact at 73 F.of 228330, a softening point, Vicat, of l20-127 F. and an index ofrefraction of l.482-l.485, all determined by AST M methods. They arealso odorless, tasteless and non-toxic. Two such resins are commerciallyavailable from Du Pont as Alathon 3175 and Alathon 3180.

The strap 12 may be made of the same plastic as the guard or saddle andmolded as an integral unit therewith to extend from the lower anteriorouter portion of the guard. The strap may also be secured by bonding orby suitable adhesive to the guard. It is preferred that the saddle bemade of Alathon 3180 which has a melt index of about 15 dg./min. and asoftening point of about 120 F. whereas the strap is preferably made ofthe tougher Alathon 3l75 which has a melt index of about 3.5 dg./min.and a softening point of about 127 F. The saddle is preferably about 3mm. thick whereas the strap is a substantially flat rectangular memberwhich is preferably about 17 mm. wide and about 2.5 mm. thick.

One end of the strap is tapered to form a neck 22 which terminates in aball 24. Spaced apertures 26 are provided through the strap which areslightly smaller in diameter than ball 24. By looping the strap over thebar of a face guard or chin strap and then inserting the ball 24 througha selected aperture 26 after preferably wetting the ball until the neck22 is positioned in the aperture, the guard can be adjustable retainedon the face guard or chin strap. As the apertured areas of the strap arethe weakest portions thereon and children have shown a tendency to playwith the strap while looped in the aperture to the point where the straphas torn through, the strap is molded with an annular reinforcing ride30 around each aperture which extends outwardly from one or both of theopposite faces of the strap.

To reinforce the point at which the strap is secured to the guard, thatend of the strap is enlarged as at 32 relative to the body of the strapand is of a generally rectangular cross-section. Hence, it is thickerand wider than the strap and is preferably about seven-sixteenths inchlong and is about five-eighths inch wide as compared to a width of aboutone-half inch for the body of the strap; and the enlarged portion 32 isabout three-sixteenths inch thick as compared to a thickness of about 0.l inch for the body of the strap.

The strap may be made of the same or a different plastic from the guardor saddle and as stated earlier may be molded integrally therewith orsecured thereto by a cementitious or weld bond. The weld joint betweenthe strap and the guard may be such, as disclosed in US. Pat. No.3,485,242, that an impact acting to exert a pull of about 14-24 poundswill permit the strap to break away from the guard to prevent damage tothe teeth.

The lip protector or shield 14 may also be made of the same or adifferent plastic as the guard and is generally a flexibleconcavo-convex unit whose width approximates the width of the guarditself, whose height is about twice that of the maximum height of theguard, and whose thickness approximates the mean thickness of the guard.When the lip protector is mounted on the strap, its convex face 34 facesaway from the guard and its concave face 36 towards the guard. A boss 38extends centrally from the concave face 36 whose length exceeds that ofthe shoulder 32 of the strap and whose outer sides are tapered to permitready removal of the lip protector from the mold in which it is formed.Extending through the boss and opening as at 40 through the convex face34 is a bore 42 whose contour conforms to that of the strap. The upperand lower faces 44 and 46 of the bore, see FIG. 3, are substantiallyparallel. However, the side faces of the bore are such that the forwardportion 48 of the bore has a width closely approximating the width ofthe shoulder 32 of the strap and the rear portion 50 of the bore closelyapproximates the narrower width of the strap body. Thus, a shoulder 52is formed in each side wall of the bore where the portions 48 and 50thereof of differing widths join. The forward edge 54 is concavelycurved to conform to the curvature of the outer lower anterior portionof the guard, and centrally, the overall length of the boss 38 is abouttwelve-sixteenths inch as compared to about seven-sixteenths inch forthat of the strap shoulder 32 so that the length of forward widerportion 48 of the bore is about seven-sixteenths inch while the lengthof the rear narrower portion 50 of the bore is about five-sixteenthsinch.

In use, the free end of the strap is pushed through the bore 42 of thelip protector 14 and the latter is slid along the length of the strapuntil the forward edge 54 of the boss 38 thereof abuts the outer loweranterior portion of the guard 10, at which point the side walls of thewider bore portion 48 frictionally grip the side walls of the strapshoulder 32 and the side walls of the narrower bore portion 50frictionally grip the side walls of the body portion of the strapimmediately to the rear of the shoulder 32. In this position the lipprotector 14 is spaced from the guard 10 by the length of the boss 38and when the guard is inserted in the mouth over a set of teeth, the lipprotector will shield the lips and the area around the lips, namely thecheeks, the upper chin portion and the area just below the nose. Thestrap will then be looped around the bar of a face guard or chin strapand an impact on the protector will flex it whereas the central portionthereof containing the boss will further act as an absorbing cushion.

Should the lip or jaw formation be such as to require a differentspacing of the lip protector relative thereto, the lip protector can bemoved rearwardly on the strap to a different adjusted position. In viewof the fact that the bore of the boss contains a smaller width portion50 approximating the width of the strap, if the lip protector shouldhave to be moved so that the boss 38 does not engage the strap shoulder32 there will still be available for frictional grip engagement with thesides of the strap, the side walls of the smaller width portion 38.Also, if a construction of strap and guard should exclude the enlargedportion 32, as seen in FIG. 5, the side walls of the smaller widthportion 50 of the boss will frictionally engage the sides of the strapanywhere along its length.

While the contour of the strap and its enlarged should and that of thebore of the boss is shown as substantially rectangular in cross-section,other contours can be used such as oval, circular, etc. as long as themaximum transverse dimension of all or a portion of the bore of the bossclosely approximates the maximum transverse dimension of the strap whenno enlarged shoulder is used on the strap or if such is used, themaximum transverse dimensions of the two portions of the bore closelyapproximate the maximum transverse dimensions of the strap and itsshoulder to permit adjustable slide movement and gripping retention ofthe lip protector on the strap.

The use of bore portions of differing widths can also be obtained with atapered or non-stepped bore 56, as seen in FIG. 6, the taper wideningfrom the concave face 36 of the lip protector toward the free curvedsurface 54 of the boss. At its widest, adjacent the surface 54, thetapered bore 56 has a width which closely approximates the width of theshoulder 32 and at its narrowest, adjacent the lip protector itself, thebore has a width which closely approximates that of the body portion ofthe strap.

Because the lip protector of the instant invention provides a close fitto the facial areas surrounding the lip, the lip protector may beprovided with apertures 58 on both sides of the boss 38 to serve asbreathing vents.

While preferred embodiments of the invention have here been shown anddescribed, it is understood that a skilled artisan may make minorvariations without departing from the spirit of the invention.

What is claimed is:

l. A combined mouthguard and lip protector comprising a guard of generalU-shaped and channel crosssection adapted to be inserted in the mouth toreceive a set of teeth, a strap extending from the outer lower anteriorportion of the guard and adapted to be looped over the bar of a faceguard or chin strap, a protector member dimensioned to shield the lipsand the surrounding facial area and means slidably mounting said lipprotector on said strap and frictionally retaining said lip protector inadjusted position thereon relative to said mouthguard.

2. The article of claim 1 wherein said means includes a boss extendingfrom one face of said lip protector and a bore in said boss extendingthrough said lip protector, said bore having a maximum transversedimension closely approximating the maximum transverse dimen sion ofsaid strap so that said lip protector can he slid along said strap andbe frictionally retained in an adjusted position therealong.

3. The article of claim 2 wherein said lip portion is generallyconcave-convex, said boss extends from the concave face of said lipprotector and the free end of said boss engages said outer loweranterior portion of said guard at the extreme inward position of saidlip protector relative to said guard to space said lip protector fromsaid guard and serve as an impactabsorbing cushion.

4. The article of claim 3 wherein said outer lower anterior portion ofsaid guard and said free end of said boss are correspondingly curved.

5. The article of claim 1 wherein said strap includes an enlargedshoulder portion at its point of attachment to said mouthguard, saidmeans including a boss longer than said strap shoulder extending fromone face of said lip protector and a bore in said boss extending throughsaid lip protector, said bore having one transverse dimension whichclosely approximates the maximum transverse dimension of said strap andanother transverse dimension which closely approximates the maximumtransverse dimension ofsaid shoulder so that said lip protector can beslid along on said strap and be frictionally retained on said strap andits shoulder or on the strap itself.

6. The article of claim 5 wherein said strap, its shoulder and said boreare substantially rectangular in cross-section and said bore includestwo portions of differing widths separated by a shoulder, one of saidportions containing the transverse dimension closely approximating thewidth of said strap and the other conainrng the ransverse dimension 0osely approximating the width of said strap shoulder.

7. The article of claim 6 wherein the length of said wider width portionof said bore is substantially the same as the length of said strapshoulder.

8. The article of claim 5 wherein said bore is tapered, the taperwidening from said lip protector to the free end of said boss, thenarrowest portion of said taper closely approximating the maximumtransverse dimension of said strap and the widest portion of said taperclosely approximating the maximum transverse dimension of said strapshoulder.

9. The article of claim 1 wherein. the same is made of a toughresiliently flexible plastic, the mouthguard being made of a plasticcapable of fixing and retaining the teeth impressions of the wearertherein.

1. A combined mouthguard and lip protector comprising a guard of generalU-shaped and channel cross-section adapted to be inserted in the mouthto receive a set of teeth, a strap extending from the outer loweranterior portion of the guard and adapted to be looped over the bar of aface guard or chin strap, a protector member dimensioned to shield thelips and the surrounding facial area and means slidably mounting saidlip protector on said strap and frictionally retaining said lipprotector in adjusted position thereon relative to said mouthguard. 2.The article of claim 1 wherein saiD means includes a boss extending fromone face of said lip protector and a bore in said boss extending throughsaid lip protector, said bore having a maximum transverse dimensionclosely approximating the maximum transverse dimension of said strap sothat said lip protector can be slid along said strap and be frictionallyretained in an adjusted position therealong.
 3. The article of claim 2wherein said lip portion is generally concavo-convex, said boss extendsfrom the concave face of said lip protector and the free end of saidboss engages said outer lower anterior portion of said guard at theextreme inward position of said lip protector relative to said guard tospace said lip protector from said guard and serve as animpact-absorbing cushion.
 4. The article of claim 3 wherein said outerlower anterior portion of said guard and said free end of said boss arecorrespondingly curved.
 5. The article of claim 1 wherein said strapincludes an enlarged shoulder portion at its point of attachment to saidmouthguard, said means including a boss longer than said strap shoulderextending from one face of said lip protector and a bore in said bossextending through said lip protector, said bore having one transversedimension which closely approximates the maximum transverse dimension ofsaid strap and another transverse dimension which closely approximatesthe maximum transverse dimension of said shoulder so that said lipprotector can be slid along on said strap and be frictionally retainedon said strap and its shoulder or on the strap itself.
 6. The article ofclaim 5 wherein said strap, its shoulder and said bore are substantiallyrectangular in cross-section and said bore includes two portions ofdiffering widths separated by a shoulder, one of said portionscontaining the transverse dimension closely approximating the width ofsaid strap and the other containing the transverse dimension closelyapproximating the width of said strap shoulder.
 7. The article of claim6 wherein the length of said wider width portion of said bore issubstantially the same as the length of said strap shoulder.
 8. Thearticle of claim 5 wherein said bore is tapered, the taper widening fromsaid lip protector to the free end of said boss, the narrowest portionof said taper closely approximating the maximum transverse dimension ofsaid strap and the widest portion of said taper closely approximatingthe maximum transverse dimension of said strap shoulder.
 9. The articleof claim 1 wherein the same is made of a tough resiliently flexibleplastic, the mouthguard being made of a plastic capable of fixing andretaining the teeth impressions of the wearer therein.